JPL: NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern

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NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern
NASA | JPL-Caltech | MRO | 2016 Jun 09

[img3="Mars Atmospheric Temperature and Dust Storm Tracking
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS; MRO (MCS, MARCI)
This graphic presents Martian atmospheric temperature data as curtains over an image of Mars taken during a regional dust storm. The temperature profiles extend from the surface to about 50 miles up. Temperatures are color coded, from minus 243 degrees Fahrenheit (purple) to minus 9 F (red)."]http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/ima ... _hires.jpg[/img3][hr][/hr]

After decades of research to discern seasonal patterns in Martian dust storms from images showing the dust, but the clearest pattern appears to be captured by measuring the temperature of the Red Planet's atmosphere.

For six recent Martian years, temperature records from NASA Mars orbiters reveal a pattern of three types of large regional dust storms occurring in sequence at about the same times each year during the southern hemisphere spring and summer. Each Martian year lasts about two Earth years. ...

Dust lofted by Martian winds links directly to atmospheric temperature: The dust absorbs sunlight, so the sun heats dusty air more than clear air. In some cases, this can be dramatic, with a difference of more than 63 Fahrenheit degrees (35 Celsius degrees) between dusty air and clear air. This heating also affects the global wind distribution, which can produce downward motion that warms the air outside the dust-heated regions. Thus, temperature observations capture both direct and indirect effects of the dust storms on the atmosphere.

Improving the ability to predict large-scale, potentially hazardous dust storms on Mars would have safety benefits for planning robotic and human missions to the planet's surface. Also, by recognizing patterns and categories of dust storms, researchers make progress toward understanding how seasonal local events affect global weather in a typical Mars year. ...

Interannual similarity in the Martian atmosphere during the dust storm season - D. M. Kass et al

• Geophysical Research Letters (online 07 Jun 2016) DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068978

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NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern
NASA | JPL-Caltech | MRO | 2016 Jun 09

Improving the ability to predict large-scale, potentially hazardous dust storms on Mars would have safety benefits for planning robotic and human missions to the planet's surface. Also, by recognizing patterns and categories of dust storms, researchers make progress toward understanding how seasonal local events affect global weather in a typical Mars year. ...